Everyone has an opinion on the revelations by the Integrity Commission about Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ financial affairs.

How did he manage to become so wealthy? Why does he have 28 bank accounts?

You can’t run Jamaica and juggle businesses at the same time.

Let’s be clear: the Integrity Report is voluminous at 171 pages, but it is distinctly inconclusive. It does not determine that the Prime Minister was egregious and wilfully engaged in illicit enrichment.

Nevertheless, the public’s attention has not abated, and people want to uncover more here.

Naturally, the PNP will see an opportunity and are pressing for more information, highlighting every revelation. That’s politics.

A clear distinction has been drawn with the Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, providing information on his statutory declarations and the Prime Minister opaquely uncertain here.

The Prime Minister says he will be suing certain members of the PNP who have defamed him and that people are making the wrong assumptions.

The matter has been referred to the Financial Investigations Division (FID). The Prime Minister would do well to let it lie with the state agency and not say anything until the FID has made a pronouncement.

The discoveries of the Integrity Commission have been brewing for some time, and the Prime Minister and the JLP have been unable to quell the chatter.

What is needed—when the time is right—is a fulsome revelation that should serve to exonerate the Prime Minister and to put this matter to bed once and for all.

The PSOJ, the JCC, and the JMEA have taken the unconventional step of issuing a statement on the matter, which reads in part:  “As a nation, it is essential that we allow the institutions of good governance and 

oversight to have the freedom to carry out their mandates without public intimidation, derision, or coercion.”It is imperative that both our leaders and the agencies involved approach this serious matter with professionalism, ensuring their actions are executed with utmost care, transparency, and respect.

“Good governance, integrity, and accountability are fundamental pillars of our society, and we rightfully expect our leaders to meet these high standards.”

Here the private sector bodies have gauged Jamaica’s temperature on this issue and are alerted to the concern shown on this matter.

Unlike others, they are not calling for the Prime Minister to step aside until the matter is concluded and a determination reached. 

It would be unnecessary for the Prime Minister to step down at this point. It is fortuitous that he is out of the country and that his mind is not preoccupied with the Integrity Report. He has to quietly go about his business and tend to the affairs of the state. 

The Integrity Commission has been looking into the Prime Minister’s finances for sixteen months now at a cost of J$1.5 billion. It has submitted its findings, which can be deemed to be an interim report because it says it does not have the resources or the personnel to complete what it started and come up with a resolute determination. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s reputation is maligned, and his standing with the Jamaican people has diminished. The Integrity Commission opted to throw the matter into the FID and Tax Department’s lap, hoping they can do the heavy lifting on this one.

The way this was handled turned out messy and does not foster confidence. It looks very Mickey Mouse. With so many smart people, those with doctorates, PhDs, and professionals said to be top of class, how come this ended up so bungled and inconclusive? The United States and other developed nations must be looking on and thinking, What a bunch of cowboys! 

If the Prime Minister is cleared and nothing untoward was found, then an apology is due, and the whole investigative apparatus has to be re-evaluated. If it is, skullduggery and illicit enrichment are a reality here, then he will have to resign, but come to a decision and don’t let this meander. 

Going forward, certain rules will have to be put in place to ensure government officials aren’t allowed to get rich while in public office. No one wants to see Prime Minister Andrew Holness in handcuffs and carted away for illicit enrichment. What preoccupies many Jamaicans is whether Prime Minister Holness is cleared. If that is not the case, why isn’t he? 

Andrew Holness has rode his political popularity well, and he is this administration’s jewel in the crown in terms of securing a third consecutive term in office. Going into a general election next year, he can’t afford Jamaicans looking at him askance, questioning his source of wealth. Younger voters have rallied to him, and his popularity is political dynamite. He cannot allow the Integrity Commission’s Report to curtail his standing with the electorate.

On every street corner you hear, “How did he get so rich so quickly?” It’s an answer only he can provide.

The state apparatus doesn’t take illicit enrichment too seriously in third-world countries. There’s a lot politicians get away with, and they continue to do so. Governance, forensic audits, and investigations don’t tend to unearth anything significant; they’re usually a display to appease the masses, creating the illusion that something is being done.

Let’s be plain here: nothing will come from the findings of the Integrity Commission’s report into Andrew Holness’ financial affairs.

The Andrew Holness situation on the surface appears more damming than Peru’s President Dina Boluarte and her many luxury watches.

Earlier this year, President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, found herself in hot water for being seen out at public functions with a number of different expensive watches while on a government salary of the equivalent of US$4,200 a month.

How could she justify top-end Rolexes and other fancy watches on a government salary? Prosecutors and police raided her residence, noting the recent rise in her wealth. Her watch collection damaged her reputation and led to calls for her resignation. She did not disclose the luxury watches in her asset disclosure required of public officials. This watch issue put her presidency at risk, and she was investigated for illicit enrichment. She could not prove how she got all these watches worth between US$14,000 and US$25,000 each.

Boluarte’s bank accounts were also investigated, where US$300,000 from an unknown origin was uncovered. Peruvians questioned Boluarte’s wealth, drawing attention to her humble beginnings and her job as a junior lawyer before getting into politics.

Peru’s public ministry put out a statement that read, “Preliminary proceedings have been ordered against Dina Boluarte for the alleged commission of illicit enrichment and omission of declaration in documents, due to the use of Rolex watches.”

As the country’s leading official, one has to be careful and ensure holdings are above board and can be accounted for. You want to avoid providing ammunition to your political enemies who will use it against you before placing you before a public firing squad.

Leader of the Opposition, the PNP’s Mark Golding, himself a respected business lawyer, notes that “the Integrity Commission Report makes reference to a provision in the Fraud Tax Act that makes it a criminal offence not to accurately report one’s taxable income when filing returns. This is a serious matter. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. He should not be filing tax returns that are not consistent with the reality of the transactions of those companies.”

“The Prime Minister remains under a cloud. His statutory declarations from 2021 onwards have not been certified, and they cannot be certified until the Integrity Commission is satisfied things are in order.” 

The Prime Minister has to sort this out and place himself beyond reproach.